Personal Favorite Rap Battles Part 5: Arcane vs. Bender

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We’re tipping past the halfway point in my eight part series on personally enjoyable rap battles over the years. To briefly recap, I’ve dropped a unique and relentless back and forth between Osa and 24/7. Then came Iron Solomon and Daylyt, a return to form of sorts for Solomon and proof Daylyt can rap exceptionally nice when effort is provided. The third was a comical, likely planned matchup between Andy Milonakis/Dirt Nasty and Frank Stacks/L Money. Shifting back toward serious rap battles, I presented Dizaster and The Saurus yesterday in a narrative establishing clash for both participants.

Today brings Arcane vs. Bender, a KOTD title match that went down in early 2011. Arcane had originally defeated The Saurus to acquire the KOTD chain, and Bender at this point was on an absolute killer spree. He had recently battled and slaughtered 24/7 in one of the strongest individual performances of all time. Spanning further, Bender’s true rise to rap battles stardom was his dirty slaying of Miracle in a battle before KOTD became super popular. That was the spawn of Bender’s famous “sorry player” combo.

This is an intense title match of my rap battles series that had major implications. Arcane seemed committed to keep his title without having the bearded big man snatch it off his neck. Bender, looking to put the finishing piece on his aggressive trajectory, wasn’t going to fall down at the mountain’s peak. This set the stage for a showdown I decisively favor to Bender, although Arcane still delivered a quality performance.

My last note on this matchup is we can’t dismiss the importance of the title at the time. Yes, Pat Stay recently had a long title holding before Illmaculate snatched it away, but for a considerable period the chain was quickly tossed from owner to owner. When Arcane had it and eventually Bender yanked it off, the title had meaning. KOTD has grown since this 2011 battle, but the title has certainly lessened in value.

I also have to include a Bender showing in my rap battles series because he’s my favorite battler of all time. Consistently lyrical and fittingly aggressive, the big man presents the most vivid wordplay and stylistic material out there. He hasn’t engaged in rap battles or excelled quite as much the last couple of years, but he remains a standout performer capable of drawing big crowds. And at his peak, no one was sharper.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv00qJWech8[/youtube]